More than one-third of foreign students
graduating from Australian universities, mainly Asians, have such poor English
skills they should never have been admitted, research showed. A study by
demographer Bob Birrell found that more than 50 percent of South Korean and
Thai students did not have sufficient English to work professionally in
Australia, along with more than 43 percent of Chinese graduates. Some 17
percent of students from Singapore and India, where English is more widely
spoken also failed to reach the required level. Overall, 34 percent of the
graduating foreign students offered permanent residence visas in 2006 did not
have competent English.

Birrell of Melbourne's Monash University, said almost all the 12,000 graduates
tested for the survey were from Asia because these students are the most likely
to apply for permanent residency on completing their studies.

However, he said that he believed the study to
be representative of all foreign students, partly because Asia was a major
source of fee-paying overseas students for Australian universities. “It does
raise questions about university standards,” Birrell told AFP. Tertiary institutions
are reliant on international students because they provide 15 percent of
funding, leading to suggestions that academic standards are sacrificed in favor
of financial rewards.

Education Minister Julie Bishop described the survey as "an extraordinary
attack by Professor Birrellon our universities."
“International students must meet international benchmarks in language in order
to get a place in a university in Australia,” she said. The study found all
graduates tested had enough command of the languageto cope in most
situations. “But people who have reached this standard are still not capable of
conducting a sophisticated discourse at the professional level,” it said.

In his report, Birrell said there was a "mountain of anecdotal
material" that many overseas students struggle to meet their course
requirements and that universities cope by lowering the English demands of the
courses. “There is widening recognition of the English problem,” he said. “But
universities were hesitant to make students take extra language courses because
this would make them more expensive and therefore less attractive than rival
institutions,” he said. However, Professor Gerard Sutton, the president of the
Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee, said most foreign students would be
proficient in reading, writing and listening to English. “What I think has been
highlighted is a deficiency in spoken language,” he told AFP, adding that a
deficiency in this area would not prevent them from completing a university
course.

(Taken From : SOAL SPMB 2007 Regional I Kode Naskah 541)

1. The respondents of the survey were _______________

A. students entering Australian universities from Asia

B. all foreign students graduating from Australian universities

C. mostly Asian students who graduated from Australian
universities

D. foreign students at graduate programs in a Australian universities

E. Australian and foreign graduates of all Australian
universities

2. This passage is probably taken from ___________________

A. a demographic report for the Australian Ministry of Education

B. a handbook for foreign university students in Australia

C. an article in the education columnof a newspaper

D. a brochure about tertiary education in Australia

E. a popular lifestyle magazine for young people

3.Which of the
following statements is FALSE about Asian students studying in Australian
universities?

A. Most of these students do not meet the requirements for
Australian universities.

B. Students from Singapore and India are better in their English
than those from China.

C. They pay the highest fees for their education compared to
other foreign students.

D. There is no problem for graduating foreign students to get
permanent resident visas.

E. Australian universities consider Asian students as the major
source of their income.

4. From the text we can infer that Australian universities
____________________

A. are lowering their standards to get more foreign students

B. are making it easier for Asian students to learn English

C. are willing to provide English language courses for students

D. are hesitant to admit students with insufficient English
skills

E. don't require foreign students to take courses in English

5. The minister of
Education thinks that the report is an attack on Australian Universities
because it ____________________

A. was made to undermine the position of the Australian Minister
of Education

B. could damage the good reputation of Australian universities

C. aims at destroying the image of the universities accepting
foreign students

D. has been published without getting the approval of the
Ministry of Education

E. shows that Australian universities are not successful in
teaching English

Kunci jawaban:
1. B. all foreign students graduating from Australian universities

2.
C. an article in the
education columnof a newspaper

3.
B. Students from Singapore and India are better in their English
than those from China.